Carol had an MRI on Friday and an infusion treatment today and a consult with the oncologist. I wasn’t allowed in the cancer center, patients only, so when we sat down with the doc, she put her phone on speaker and called me as I sat out in the parking lot.
”Well, I got the results of your Friday scan”, says the doc. “Good news. Your blood work has improved a lot. White blood cells and platelets are back to near normal levels. The enlarged abdominal lymph nodes are smaller. Those suspicious modules the the lungs have mostly disappeared and your kidney tumor has shrunk by 50%. And almost no side effects at all. You hit a home run!”
This treatment works on about 1 out of 3 patients. With some, the side effects are too severe for them to handle and the stop treatment.
Much better progress than we could have hoped for. Tears flowed freely. One more treatment here in 4 weeks and then we should be able to head home for the follow up treatments which should be 1-2 years depending.
Awesome news. Best day in years. Maybe ever!
Bottles set em up. From the top shelf. No well liquor. Money is no object. I’m stimulating the economy with 24 hunnert dollars somebody gave me.
Yeeehaa!

I wanted to let you all know that Sage Chick officially graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine this past weekend. Because of the Covid19 it was not quite the graduation ceremony that she had always envisioned, but after 8 years of hard work she is Dr. Sarah none-the-less. Many of you, especially if you know her and/or supported the SASS scholarship fund, were instrumental in this accomplishment. Thank you all so much. Later this month she and Sam will be getting married in a rustic barn setting and settling in on the ranch (or farm as we call them in Ohio) near Newark where she will be working in an established vet clinic. Now that academia is behind her, she can actually have a real life, and hopefully get back out on the range and do some shooting with all of you.

For those that don't know at 1700 eastern time President Trump has been holding press conferences on the status of the war against COVID-19.
First thing I have noticed is how few times President Trump says "I". He is either giving credit to specific individuals, specific companies or saying "we" instead of I. Unlike the previous occupant.
While the MSM is trying to keep us divided here is what has happened in just the last few days.
GM is manufacturing ventilators, Ford is doing the same.
The pharmaceutical giants donated collectively close to 10 Million doses of quinine based drugs.
Millions of test kits that give results in minutes vice days are being fielded.
Ohio-based Battelle has gotten approval to use their machines to sterilize N95 masks. Now they can be reused up to 20 times rather than be thrown away.
Companies are retasking their 3D printers to manufacture face shields, ventilator valves and a whole host of critical items our health care workers need. The necessary files are being freely shared to allow anyone to step up and assist.
Two USNS Hospital ships went from storage to fully operational in just a few days vice the weeks it was originally expected to take.
The USNS Mercy is docked in Los Angles. It is fully operational, accepting patients and performing surgical operations.
The USNS Comfort docked in New York today. I am betting it'll be operational by COB tomorrow.
Thousands of Doctors, Nurses, and other health care professionals came out of retirement to fill the gaps.
In New York City, the Army Corps of Engineers built a 3000 bed field hospital for non-Covid -19 patients in only 3 days, so that traditional hospitals can devote more resources to infected patients. Several more are in the works and will be operational soon.
Listening to My President talk about how individuals and companies large and small have answered the call made me proud to be an American.

I have NO problem with protesters and they can believe and espouse anything they want!
What I have a problem with is protesters blocking intersections and thoroughfares!! You can say whatever you like and I’m proud to support that right, but you have no right to prevent me from going where I want and or need to go!! Restraining or preventing a person from legally traveling to and from any public or commercial destination is against the law and should be prosecuted aggressively and in every instance!! It borders on kidnapping and definitely rates as menacing and if they touch you, becomes assault!!
You want to protest?? Go to a park or parking lot!! Get a permit and have a parade!! Stand on the steps of the courthouse or congress or the capital!! You may not steal, damage, or destroy that which doesn’t belong to you!! You may not harm, restrain, detain, or otherwise molest any other citizen!! At the point that you do ANY of these things, you are no longer a protester! You ARE, however, A CRIMINAL!!!
When the first foreign object flys, the first punch is thrown, or the first protester violates ANY law, the protest is over and those who don’t disburse GO TO JAIL!!
The First Amendment is sacrosanct, but it IS NOT a tool to protect vandals, looters, arsonists, and people who would commit mayhem from prosecution and penalties!!
It is high time that government starts playing the role it is supposed to play and protecting the general population!!

Thanks guys - appreciate your care in knowing my condition.
All is good...I'm vertical and still breathing.
When I got a penalty point from a Moderator for speaking frankly, I basically quit the Wire.
I'll be at WR...say hi. Or if one of the Wire Wranglers want to take an issue up with me Face to Face...I'm up for that too!
Take care and keep supporting your local SASS Clubs and local Gun Shops!
Phantom

Hello to All!
As the new Chairman of the ROC, I wanted to first thank Virgil Earp for his long and distinguished service as our Chairman. Virgil has been a tower of common sense, and one of the long time keepers our the SASS "Old West" collective conscience. He has been a true inspirational leader in our community, and has contributed much over the years to keep our game on the right track. We thank him for his service as Chairman, and are very grateful for him staying on the ROC to continue giving his guidance. Virgil, my hat is off to you....you are a true Cowboy! I have big shoes to fill, no doubt.
A quick word about the ROC, our role and process. As many of you know, the ROC is NOT a rule making body....that role is filled by the TGs, and in very extenuating circumstances, the SASS Wild Bunch Board. The role of the ROC is to support the evolution of the game, foster better enforcement of the rules and safety covenants as evenly as possible throughout the organization. We are available to communicate with SASS members for the receipt and discussion of ideas, concerns, proposed improvements, and various changes or clarifications of the SASS competition rules contained in the Shooters Handbook. We are also charged with the clarification of existing match and equipment rules. In that regard we complete an annual review of the rules and suggest edits as needed. We volunteer as a match officials, and represent SASS and the ROC at matches attended, and are required to be a resource for members and match coordinators. We also review and provide timely feedback on Equipment Modification applications received and distributed to the ROC by SASS HQ. We are here for you all, and will help in any way we can.
As you can see we can be very busy at times. When the "What's The Call" (WTC) questions come up on the SASS Wire presenting situations that have never been dealt with or considered before, Palewolf Brunelle (ROC Member and Wire Spokesman) will forwarding those questions to us by email or ROC Wire. We then take the time to consider the questions and the details. We will discuss and email between ourselves to clarify the issue, and agree on the official ROC position. That resolution will then be posted on that particular SASS Wire - WTC thread. Having said that, I would ask you all for your patience with Palewolf, as he will get the answer posted as soon as possible. This process can take time, as some of us have other commitments (work and family) that we need to prioritize. Essentially, give us the time needed to get you a good, thoughtful and right answer. I would rather take the time to give a "quality", as opposed to "quick", answer.
The process for rule changes takes a ground swell, and it takes time. If clubs feel a rule should be changed, added or deleted your TG should first float the idea among your club members, then on the TG wire for discussion. If the idea has merit, the issue can be made a TG Meeting Agenda item for further consideration and discussion. This process takes time, and it should! We should never move quickly to change existing rules and philosophies.....as we don't want to "tilt at windmills". As a community we should react slowly, even to changes that are truly needed, and driven by the majority of the community...not passing fads. We need to always do what is best for SASS and our game.
Finally I would like to inform you all that Sassy Dancer has been appointed to our committee. She is a top shooter in her own right, and true Cowgirl who keeps the SASS vision and conscience at heart. Her positive attitude and community spirit exudes what we value in SASS. I am truly honored and thankful to have her on our team.
See you all down the trail!

Thank You all. I did have some dirt kicking news last week. The killing Hornets Fire Ants nor a Texas Tornado will stop me from Marrying Ellie Gant This Saturday afternoon. We have been together for 9 years now and she has seen and put up with me. In the past week an Angle spoke to me twice now. One said to take care of my business and the other told me to Everything will be alright. Sheryl has taught me so much about God in these past years and he is my Lord and savior. We will see y’all at Comin At Cha 2020, I want to call this match “ A New Beginning” see ya soon on the Range. Thank Y’all again

I bought a Lichtenberg fractal burning machine last week and have been playing with it a little ( my wife says obsessed) and built a couple of sets of gun cart wheels for a couple of carts I’m building. I used the fractal burner on the spokes. These pictures are both sides of one wheel before I’ve brushed the lacquer on. What do you think?

In to the wild blue yonder....
Leaving for Albuquerque tomorrow to fly to Charlotte on Wednesday.
Should be there for about 3 months.
I’ll miss the homestead, but I’d go to the ends of the earth to help my bride.
updated 2-21 below

I think that we all need to say some extra prayers for Utah Bob and his bride. Unless you are seeing the world through his eyes, you can not know the suffering and trouble. He has the added stress of not being able to take her home after each treatment and surround them both in familiar and comfortable surroundings.
There are many in similar situations this day. Let us pray for them as well to the phycisian that knows all of His patients by name.

Howdy
As some will know I'm involved with getting a new club up & running in a small country town by the name of Esk in the state of Queensland. It's still a work in progress but here in Australia it's a lot of paperwork, inspections & money !! It will happen eventually .
The good news is the next small town just down the road [ about 15 mile ] has an up & running pistol club on 40 acres, toilets, showers, kitchen , plenty of camping & ample room to set up plenty of stages. The towns name is TOOGOOLAWAH & the club is just on the outskirts. I have approached them re- Cowboy shooting & just recently been given the green light.
So BIARRA BANDITS will be our name & we will shoot on the 4th Saturday of the month. We will be a SASS club .
Our first shoot was to be in May which had to be cancelled, hopefully when everything settles down we will be able to set another date.
Biarra is the name of the district where the range is situated..many years ago there was a milk factory nearby so we will be able to have the Milky Bar Kid awards ..

About 30 years back, I moved into a NEW neighborhood. Heck, my 1 acre lot and house was only about
6-10 in the neighborhood. Lots of empty property around, ESPECIALLY the 200 acre farm
that bordered all of my back and left side property. Basically, my property was kinda inset on
a section of the farmers land.
He raised cows. His family, son and grandsons includes, had houses on the FAR SIDE of the property from
where I lived. We can't see each others house because of a ridge between us.
Anyhow, a couple years after I moved in, many of his cows got out of their fenced in property. E.TN had a nice
snow and some school kids had found a part of his fense to bend down to do some serious sledding on his
property, of which the cows also discovered the broken down fence and got out.....on my property.
Probably about 25 cows were roaming freely around the neighborhood.
It was about 1:00 A.M. when I discovered noises outside and call the farmer about his cows.
He and his wife came over immediately, in COLD weather at 1 a.m. to try and herd those cows back.
Yours truly helped them get all 25 cows back on their property. Took a couple hours.
Shortly thereafter, I came home from work and the Farmer and his son were putting up a Drive-Thru gate
at the corner of my property and the farm. They told me I could come over ANYTIME and shoot, coyote hunt
or do some ground hog sniping. And, I could invite friends over in September for Dove season in TN.
They did not put a lock on the gate... and I didn't have to ask permission to drive over.
I cruise that farm often and shoot all the time. This afternoon, for example, I cruised over on my ATV
and did some 200 round plinking with a couple of my .22 pistols.
My efforts to help them with those cows has been rewarded in kind deed for nearly 30 years.
The Dad passed away in recent years, but the Son and Grandson have made it a point to let me
know I am still welcome on their property and shoot all I want.
You never know just how one kind deed can manifest itself into a blessing for years to come.
Be nice to someone...... you never know how things will turn out.
..........Widder

Good morning.
I'm thankful for the years of commentary with all of you.
It's been one heck of a ride .
And a whole lot of fun .
I have done many different things over the years .
I spent most of my life in a 1% Motorcycle club .
Were everyone calls you Brother but will stab you in the back while giving you a hug .
Life really changed for me around 2010 when I expected Jesus Christ as my savior.
That's as far as I will go with my faith.
I ment Duece Stevens in the spring of 2010.
He was working at a gun store and I was buying a Winchester 1894 from them .
Upon checking out Steve asked me if I ever heard of Cowboy Acton shooting ?
He invited my to Rockford Gun club that weekend to watch a Cowboy shooting Match.
I was hooked on the spot .
I had every thing I needed to play the game already because I was a Cowboy at heart .
I built a gun cart what day when I got home .
I was at the game the next weekend.
I owe a lot of thanks to ( Steve) Deuce Steven's for the next two years of help he gave me to fit right in .
I bought many Cowboy guns to shoot any kind of category I wanted to shoot.
I'm now coming to the end of my shooting abilities.
Some of you remember and helped me and supported me threw a bad Motorcycle crash in 2016 .
After a few surgery's and therapy I started walking again .
But it's not good .
I'm getting worse as time goes on .
So this is putting a end to my Cowboy Acton shooting.
But Not a end to me being a SASS Member or being on The SASS Wire with Friends and Family.
Yes we have had our arguments and fights .
What family dont.
But we always made up, and was still family and friends in the end when thing cooled off.
Heck I have even been kicked off the wire a time or too,
Lol right Phantom !
We dont take none of it personal, it's just the heat of the moment and you cant take it back after you hit send .
Some times we forget that we are talking to a friend or another person when you are typing and not hearing a vice or seeing a face .
So if I ever offended you in any way.
I'm truly sorry.
I'm very opinionated and like to share it with you if you want it or not.
God Bless you all.
I hope and Pray we all have many more years of shooting together and or sharing our opinions together on the wire .
This is not a good by ,
But I will see you down the trail.
Rooster Ron Wayne.

Question: I know that SASS has a service that provides the Wire and that service includes the Wire layout, support and maintenance. But, is there any way to update or modify the Emojis to include the flags of the SASS members that do not live in the USA?
We have quite a few Canadian and Australian members that frequent the Wire daily. I think it would be nice that their country’s flags are also represented on our forum.
Kind regards,
Pat Riot

this is too good to not share
A Brit lands in Sydney, and is waiting at passport control. His turn comes and he steps to the agent.
The agent asks his name, and the Brit gives it.
The agent asks his occupation, and the Brit gives it.
The agent asks "have you ever been convicted of a crime?" The Brit responds "right, so that's still a requirement?"

Our good buddy Noz and his lovely wife Lorrie stopped by our house this afternoon on their way back home. Great news - Noz convinced his therapists that he is now safe to resume driving a car! He had to demonstrate that he could drive all over Springfield with one of his therapists as a passenger in a dual control car, and upon completion was certified to continue driving. So last year's head bump appears to be officially resolved, and congratulations are in order!!
His knee has been giving him some problems, so returning to the firing line is still a while off, until he can be sure of his stability. But he's working on it.
I figured his Wire pards would like to know.

Conspiracies are getting boring.
How about this. We have a bunch of morons governing us that get their input from other morons that wouldn’t have jobs in the real world. We also have a bunch of media morons that cannot report the truth unless there is a way to sensationalize it to meet “their agenda”. None of them know history and in this day and age if it isn’t on the internet, it doesn’t exist. Most all of them are greedy for power, attention or money or all three. None of them really have a clue so we get what we get. The blind morons leading the disenchanted.

Guy up on the corner, maybe a quarter mile away. He appears to be older than I am. And in worse shape.
A couple of days ago as I was walking by his house I realized that I had not seen him lately. Also has HIS garbage can had not been at the street. And his car did not appear to have been moved. Or FOR at least a couple weeks.
I stopped, banged on his door. Boy, he was in bad shape. He had had some kind of medical procedure on his right side. Plus he had broke his right thumb. Plus he'd had all his teeth pulled.
But he was still alive. And he thanked me for stopping by and checking on him.
Couple-three years ago, a policeman came banging on my kitchen window. I go out the front door to see what's going on, and my neighbor across the street had called the cops. She said she hadn't seen me for a couple of weeks and she was worried.
She apologized to me for calling the cops, but I told her I appreciated it. And remembering Faye being worried about me made me decide to stop and knock on his door. And I had already decided that if he did not answer his door I was going to talk to his next door neighbor and see if she had seen him lately.
It's not just the crud. Old people that live alone. Folks need to check on them once in awhile.

This gun cart is one that I built for the LOCAS raffle winner for last year, I’ll bet you can’t guess her alias. It’s taken me quite a bit longer on this one because of wrecking my truck and having it in the shop for 6 weeks and then my daughters illness and lots of trips to Az. Anyway it’s finished. The cart winner wanted a custom rustic finish but the guy they wanted to do the finish isn’t doing it anymore so her and her husband, Stubby Pete finished it themselves. It’s built out of rustic alder and through dovetails, sliding dovetails and mortise and tennon joinery were used for joinery.
I did a few extras like the ammo bag holder in the bottom of the chest that holds 8 canvas loading bags standing on end, 4 in each compartment and then a spent brass bin for .45 Colt and one for.32. The top tray will hold two boxes of Sg shells and then other match essentials. The other top tray will hold glasses, ear plugs and other match needs and I also included a slot that her cell phone can ride in. I built one side of this tray with a sub tray that lifts out and there is more storage area underneath it. You’ll notice the brass pipe up above the barrel bracket and that is for her SG chamber brush. The twin cup holder is larger than normal to accommodate her insulated coffee cup and hand wipes to keep the lead off.
Double Diamond did all of the leatherwork. The roses on the chest medallion are embossed and carved and stand out 1/2” or more, it’s hard to tell in the pictures. He worked closely with the cart winner and I think he really did an excellent job.
The handles have 40-65 brass mounted so that she can hang her empty hull bag from one peg and a jacket or something from the other. This cart is really light weight and breaks down very easily and she’ll be carrying it in her Ford Edge.

A note to all Forum Users:
The goal of the SASS Wire Forums is to provide a fun and resourceful place that users can come and discuss topics in regards to SASS and Cowboy Action Shooting. We also want to celebrate free exchange of information and conversation, and realize that "spirited" discussion can happen at times when the subject matter is one that we feel passionately about.
It can be a challenge to express ideas and opinions in the written word and nearly impossible to judge intent of the manner of which it is intended. Please keep that in mind when posting on the forums- be considerate of the challenges we all face when trying to communicate on the SASS Wire. We are not looking to curtail expression- everyone has their opinions and are entitled to them. We want to make sure that everyone is able to participate fully and express themselves without fear of ridicule.
There IS a difference between a debate and an argument. Arguments are disrespectful and will not be tolerated. Treating each other with respect is paramount.
Please be considerate of the challenges that we all face when trying to communicate on the SASS Wire.
Please refer to the following excerpt from the Guidelines:
Inappropriate or offensive content and disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. To assist in defining inappropriate content, ask yourself the following questions when making a post:
- Is this message SASS-related? (with the exception of the Saloon forum)
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*If you cannot answer yes to all of these questions, please reconsider posting your message.
IGNORE FEATURE TIP: If you find there is a forum user that you no longer wish to see posts from,-regardless of the reason, there is a feature built in to the SASS Wire Forums that allows you to "IGNORE" a User. There are a few ways this can be accomplished. You can either hover over the member's icon that you wish to ignore and a "Ignore" option will come up- taking you to your Ignored Users page within YOUR account. This is where you can manage the content you see within the Forums. You can also arrive at your Ignored Users page within your account by clicking on the down arrow next to your name/account info in the top right corner and select "Ignored Users". This is similar to "unfollowing" someone in Facebook.
Thank you,
Misty Moonshine & the SASS Wire Moderating Team

Hello Folks!
I hope you are all doing well and staying healthy during these unusual and unprecedented times. Some of our fellow shooters in our big CAS family, I am sure, are struggling with various issues and challenges and our hearts go out to them. Knowing there is a large network of support of friends and family out there hopefully eases the pain a little. I know it does for me.
It was truly sad that End of Trail and many other major matches had to cancel, but they were likely the right calls. Those decisions are not made lightly and are done with heavy hearts. This COVID virus has caused us all various trials and tribulations. As has been said before, "this too shall pass.”
As promised, I want to share some information about Winter Range 2020. As you know every year we send out a survey to our shooters after the match. This year we received 466 responses, which is a very good return rate. I can say that the vast majority of shooters who responded were very happy with the match and made many constructive and positive comments. Most of them said they will return next year no matter what!
We received top marks from about 93% of our shooters. While that is a great report card, it isn’t a perfect one. Each year we strive to improve upon the previous year’s match. 2021 will be no exception. We can always do better, and we will!
First, let me explain our match design philosophy: Winter Range is the National Championship, and it needs to measure up to that level of challenge. At the same time, we acknowledge that many folks just want to shoot and have fun. We therefore have a difficult task of appealing to everyone. In fact, that is almost impossible. However, we try to accommodate the majority and give most everyone a healthy portion of what they want.
We design our match to be about 1/3 fast and close, 1/3 medium speed and medium distances and a little more challenging, and 1/3 with targets a little farther out, perhaps with some more challenging sequences. We also try to keep those stages on the same wave to allow shooters to "get into a groove" for each level/type of challenge. As this is the National Championship, it should challenge several aspects of shooting. That’s what separates the accomplished shooters from those who get lucky on occasion.
Again, about 93% of our shooters said we got it right! However, we can learn something from the constructive criticism offered on various aspects of the match. There is a part of CAS that likes big, close and fast: don't we all! However, many of you indicated in your surveys that shooting big, close and fast on all 12 stages is not what you want. You want a mix...and that is what we try to deliver...a mix with a challenge. We want to challenge your "all around shooting skills," and still make it fun for everyone.
Two of our stages last year were, perhaps, a bit too challenging for some people. We acknowledge that these stages could have been designed differently. The two stages that had "vertical" target placement paired with a "more challenging sequence," were a little too much for some. If the two challenges were separated (one or the other) it would have been better. So...lesson learned. Again, our goal is to make it fun and challenging for all shooters.
We also received a few comments about the "cactus" knockdown targets. They were admittedly a little small so they were set very close to the firing line. Remember, we set up for two matches: Cowboy and Wild Bunch. We need to set the targets for use by both matches, where possible, given that we have limited volunteer labor to reset the entire range and all 140 targets in one day. In 2021, we plan to use a few of those cactus knockdowns and they will be close and set for very light hits, as they were this year. (We calibrate our targets every night for light hits.)
So what's the plan for next year? Winter Range will be celebrating its 30th Anniversary, and we intend on making it the best one yet! Some really great entertainment, maybe a night shoot with some fireworks and some new targets and props are on the agenda. This year our new main tent was a hit, and the Saturday night banquet a huge success...we will see that again. Also, we will be ordering a few more 24" steel targets with new stands to add to our inventory. There might even be a new safety video! Folks, 2021 will be a seriously fun match with targets a little closer and bigger, but will maintain the shooting challenge we always provide at Winter Range.
Applications will be out soon on the website so standby for that. We are anticipating a sold-out match, so please get your applications in early.
I wish you all well and good shooting!
Blackjack Zak

I had a run in with some protesters the other day. They wanted me to turn around and drive the other way. I didn't want to, so I didn't. They were protesting against cops, I was told. After I expended quite a few expletives, they said if there are 1000 cops and 2 of them are bad, that makes 1000 bad cops. So, I said if there are 1000 purple guys and 2 are bad does that make 1000 bad purple guys? They sure didn't like that logic. Apparently it is only racism if you are not them. Whoever them is. I watched a fellow shooter get attacked on his fb page with shouts of racism for no reason other than supporting the police. Personally, I get tired of it. A person has only so much patience. I was brought up to take a man as a man, until you find out he is an azzhole. As I told him, you can't fart without being called a racist.

Blackpowder is a legal permitted propellant in every category. Those who enjoy shooting blackpowder and substitutes in their adjustable sighted revolvers can do so in any of the categories that allow adjustable sighted revolvers. What is apparent Is that some folks want a plaque with a particular title on it without going to the effort of meeting that category’s requirements.

Updated - Marauder was released from the hospital and is convalescing at home. He's till pretty weak and as such they are requesting no phone calls until he gets a little stronger. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers in his behalf.........Kajun
A good pard down here in Georgia, Marauder, was taken to the hospital Friday night with complications from a UTI. He was tested for the Covid 19 virus and it was NEGATIVE. He is very weak and was dehydrated and his wife asked that no one call he is feeling better. Both he and his wife (Mine's Taken) could use some prayers about now.
Kajun

I put together a bunch of stuff that reflects me and the things I relate to and put them on a photo that was made into a jigsaw puzzle for my daughters. I know I won't be around forever so had this made for them to keep me in mind after I'm gone..

Just a heads up, to keep your heads down. For various reasons, I shot my last match in November, 2017.
Things got a bit better, and I'm going to try it out again, tomorrow, at the Cajon Cowboys grand re-opening.
This should be fun. Words of encouragement appreciated; please, keep the laughter to a minimum.
Cheers,
FJT